Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-06-24
THE POET WHITTIER,
Autobiokrsphica1 "Reminiscences.

AutobioEraphica1 "Reminiscences.
The poet Whittier says of himself:
II was unlike: any of the rest, I
think, for never had any methods
When felt like it wrote, and I nei-
ther had the health nor the patience
to work over it afterwards. 1t usual
y went as it was originally completed:
Emerson wrote with great care, and
would not only revise his manuscript
carefully, but have often heard him
say that he would frequently rewrite
the article upon the proof-sheets:
Longfellow, too, was a very careful
writer. He wrote and rewrote, and
would lay his work by and then revise
it. He often would consult with his
friends about his productions before
they were given TO the world. He
therefore sent his work out as perfect
as great care and a brilliant intellect
could make it. Twas not SO fortunate.
I have lived mostly g. secluded life,
with little patience to draw upon, and
only a few friends for associates
What writing have done has been for
the love OF it. have ever been tinid
of what l have penned. It. is really a.
marvel to me that Ihave gathered any
literary reputation from my produc'
tions.
"Much that I have written I wish
was as deep in the Red Sea- as
Pharaoh's chariot wheels Much OF
the bread cast on the waters I wish
had never been returned. 1t is not
fair to revive writings composed in the:
shadow OF conditions that make even
acceptable work impossible In my
early life was not favored with good
opportunities. Limited chances OF ed
ucation and a lack OF books always
stood in my way. When I began to
write | had seen nothing and virtually
knew nothing OF the world. Of course,
things written then could not have been
worth much.
''In my fathers house there was not
q dozen books, and they were OF a Sc
we're type. The only one that ap-
preached poetry was a rhy1ned his
porary OF George Fox, the Quaker.
There was Onepoornove]in the family.
1t belonged to an aunt. This I secured
one day; when I had read it hall
through was discovered, and it was
taken from me.
My first glimpse OF poetry was when
my old schoolmaster brought copy
OF Burns poems and read from it at
our house. My first real work was
done when George D. Prentice was
editing the Hartford Review, although
| had written considerably before
wrote and sent him few things. and
he encouraged me- When he recon-
mended me to take his place the
publishers wrote me and Invent down.
had then seen practically nothing OF
the world, and for the two years / re-
manned with the Review my greatest
effort was to keep people from know
las; how little I really knew.
no market for the work. My anti
slavery convictions made my name
valueless to any of the magazines; but,
strange as it may appear, the Demo
cratic Review was always anxious for
my writings"
"Was there no market at all? No
price set upon your work."
"None. just wrote for any paper
that would publish my matter, and if
Longfellow, Emerson, Hawthorne or
myself had been forced to rely upon
the products of our pens for our liv-
ing, we would have wanted bread in
those days when most of our best work
was done. TO me this is a queer
phase of literary life, to find that the
greatest genillses that America has ev-
er given to literature should have
toiled without recompense, and been
forced to wait until they We're old be-
fore reaping the fruits Of their labor.
Truly, it is hard work for writer to
get & fOOthold."